A number of cleaning procedures are known from practical experience. Dry cleaning procedures consist of either removal by suction or blowing, or by wiping with brushes or fleece as is described in German Offenlegungschrift 42 13 342.4.
Along with those, there are also cleaning procedures that make use of liquids, for example, high-pressure cleaning in which a surface to be cleaned is washed down, ultrasound cleaning in which the object is immersed in a liquid, or other wiping procedures, in which the surfaces in question are wiped off with liquid by means of wet cloths or similar wiping elements.
Primarily, the wet cleaning procedures have the disadvantage that in connection therewith the cleaned surface is also wet or moist, so that a drying step has to be added into the cleaning procedure, and the danger exists that particles will again affix themselves to the moist surface. In addition, dampness or moisture can change the characteristics of certain materials and workstuffs in unwanted ways; for example, it can lead to swelling.
The dry cleaning procedures have the disadvantage that particles can remain adhered, and in particular, small and very small particles, particularly if the surface itself exhibits roughness. At the least, correspondingly long and exhibits roughness. At the least, correspondingly long and tedious operational periods must be provided in the case of dry cleaning procedures. In doing this, however, there also exists the danger that, due to the rubbing of the wiping element on the surface to be cleaned, if this surface is not made of an electrically conducting material, static charges can be generated that in turn attract particles and can lead to re-contamination.